


Dorian Pawvus

by addyrobin



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dorian has ears and a tail to clarify, Halward not being as much of a terrible father as usual, Kitty!Dorian, Kitty!Halward, M/M, Modern AU, So you know exactly what you're getting into
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6173488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addyrobin/pseuds/addyrobin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a man with cat ears and a tail nuzzling in Bull's lap.</p><p>But weirder things have happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Untitled](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/179443) by Elthadriel. 



It had been an odd night.

Just a few hours ago, he’d picked up a stray cat off the road out of pity (it was a rainy night and the poor thing had been shivering, how could he _not?_ ) The little one had come easily enough, hopping right into his arms after a small bit of hissing, and he’d brought him home and tucked him in on the couch and gone to the kitchen to try and figure out some food for them both. He was a tortoiseshell with white ‘socks’, and Bull could already feel himself falling in love as the cat yawned and stretched, gazing at him with grey eyes.

Now, though. Now he couldn’t find said cat at all, and there was a man sitting on his couch where the cat had been...at least, partially a man. He had cat ears (not costume ones either, real cat ears that were very much attached to his head) and a tail (also real,) and was staring at Bull with a curious expression. Bull stared back, fairly startled by the whole thing but hoping to keep calm. At least the guy had clothes on; he wore a grey sweater and black pants that seemed fairly loose on him, and Bull could see how skinny he was just at a glance.

Neither of them spoke for a good minute, with the cat-man continuing to stare at Bull. His gaze was intense, to say the least. Bull was so rarely intimidated by anything, but the growing silence accompanied by the man’s glare almost made Bull want to shrink away. If this was a demon, it probably would have done something by now - spoken or attacked or _something_ that wasn’t just staring. Eventually his manners got the better of him, and he managed to choke out a sentence.

“Uh...hello.” Bull gave a sheepish wave. The cat-man arched an eyebrow, waved back. “Are you the cat who I helped off the road?” A nod. Well, damn.

The silence came again, but this time Bull managed to sit down on the couch as they stared at each other. It was uncomfortable, but how was he supposed to address this? The cat-man, whoever he was, wasn’t speaking to him. Bull wasn’t even sure he was capable of it. He could _understand_ , yes, but what was Bull going to say even then? He couldn’t just throw him out, not in the rain. Even though he was a man (partially) now, Bull didn’t feel right about it.

Then the cat-man yawned softly, scooted across the couch, and curled up next to Bull. “Pet me.”

“I…excuse me?” The cat-man had _spoken_. He gave Bull a pointed look as though to say ‘are you stupid?’ before shutting his eyes and placing his head on his lap, nudging his arm demandingly. Nervously, Bull reached down and scratched the cat-man’s head. He made a noise that seemed like a cross between a sigh and a purr, clearly content with Bull’s actions.

“You may call me Dorian,” the man said calmly. He had an accent, clearly, but more than that...it seemed like he wasn’t used to speaking, clearly needing effort to form the words. But obviously he wasn’t human if he didn’t think there was anything odd about the situation.

“Dorian...I’m the Iron Bull.” Bull let his finger curl through Dorian’s hair, watching as the man finally settled. “You wanna tell me what’s up with...you? This? ...these?” He pointedly gave one of Dorian’s ears a little scratch, earning a tiny mew from Dorian that shouldn’t have been nearly as cute as it was.

“Yes, I...I suppose I owe you some sort of explanation.” Dorian sighed and shut his eyes, his speech coming a little easier now that he had relaxed a bit.

“You don’t need the details of it, but I _was_ Tevinter. Some blood magic gone wrong on my father’s end turned my whole family line into cats - I assume someone translated something wrong, but I wasn’t the one who wanted to do it in the first place.” He scowled, ears going back a bit, and Bull tried to pet him again to soothe him. He sighed, blinking slowly and looking up at Bull. “The point is, it wasn’t meant to happen, but now we can’t fix it. I was only able to take this human form again because you rescued me. Another mistranslation, perhaps, of what my father wanted, but one I’m grateful for…” Dorian looked away, stretching his legs a bit. “I’m telling you this so that you understand why there’s a _man_ on your lap now instead of a cat, but...you certainly aren’t reacting as strongly as I thought you would.”

“You know, I’ve seen weirder,” Bull admitted. “At least you’re not a demon...right?”

“Hah!” Dorian laughed at that, and Bull had to admit that even he was a little caught off guard at how much it sounded like a cat’s yowl. “Certainly not! The one thing my father got right was _not_ putting a demon into me, thank you very much.”

“Huh. So just part cat, then.” Dorian stiffened at that, one hand going to Bull’s shirt and kneading it lightly. Bull was certain that if Dorian had claws, he might have given him a gentle scratch then.

He shut his eyes again, relaxing under Bull’s hand after the man pointedly tried to ease his ‘clawing’. “Don’t call me that, if you don’t mind. I prefer the term ‘mixed breed.’” Bull could hear the slightest trill on his ‘r’ sounds, as though Dorian were trying to suppress a purr when he spoke.

“Rrrright.” Bull continued to scratch, exhaustion suddenly gripping him. “...so. What, am I your owner now?”

Dorian shrugged in his lap, curling up a bit more. “If you want to be, I suppose? I don’t have much of a choice in the matter if I want to remain human and find a way to break this damned curse. But if you don’t want me, you may put me back out and I’ll become a cat again. Perhaps I’ll even refrain from pissing on your carpet on the way out. Up to you.”

Bull couldn’t help the guilt he felt at Dorian’s concerned expression. “Is being a cat a bad thing?”

“It has its drawbacks.” Dorian tensed underneath him, ears going back once again. He looked worried...and Bull might not have understood in full, but he’d feel awful knowing that he just sent this poor man (cat???) out into the wild without any kind of care. After all, it was raining tonight, and Bull knew most cats disliked water.

He sighed. “You gonna turn back into a cat if you stay with me? Need to know whether or not I have to get adoption papers and shit.” Just like that, Dorian’s body relaxed again, a smile gracing his face.

“No. Not unless you want me to...and have no fear, I’m housebroken,” he joked. Bull had to laugh at that, scratching behind Dorian’s ear. He curled up against Bull’s hand contently, practically purring with enjoyment at the affection.

“Well, then...guess you’re staying with me. It’d uh...it’d help if you’d take your cat form when I’ve got company, though. Not sure how well I’d explain keeping a pet man,” he teased. Dorian arched his head into Bull’s hand, sighing contently.

“Put a collar on me and you could call it kinky,” Dorian joked, and Bull laughed again. He liked this guy already. “I’ll do as you say, however. If I go back to cat size I can sleep just about anywhere, so there won’t be a need to find an extra bed.” Bull couldn’t help noticing his pupils, which were circular - not at all like a cat’s. His ears were pricked forward too, and Bull knew enough cats to take that as a good sign that Dorian was happy.

“That’s helpful,” Bull said warmly, smiling down at him. He’d always had a thing for picking up strays, human and cat alike. “We good, then?”

“Mhm…I am rather tired, however. If you’re going to move, you should do it now or you’ll wake me up.” He yawned, and Bull could hear a soft mewl of contentment behind it. Bull carefully pulled himself away and stood up, gently placing a pillow under Dorian’s head and a blanket over his shoulders. He had to laugh when Dorian pressed his head up to his thigh again, already falling asleep.

“Thanks for letting me stay…” Dorian mumbled. “You’re a good man, Iron Bull…” His sighed quietly, his nose giving a little twitch before he finally fell asleep. Bull smiled, flicking off the light and heading to his bedroom. On the one hand, this wasn’t the strangest thing to ever happen to him. On the other...he had just semi-adopted a man, which wasn’t entirely new, but this one was also a bit of a cat. Maybe it’d be easy though. Maybe Dorian would be productive, find the things he needed for a cure, and they could both go on with their lives.

  
Bull laughed at himself as he settled in his bed, pulling the blankets up over himself. Life was never that simple, and he knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all seemed to like this, so here's a little more! Featuring Dorian being a little shit.

Dorian the cat-man had not been a dream, and had stayed the whole night. Not that Bull was really surprised - it was still pouring outside. He found him curled up on the couch beneath the blanket Bull had given him, a cat once more. Bull almost laughed now that he saw him in his cat form again, seeing resemblances to the human man already - from his birthmark to the little moustache pattern in his fur.

He moved to the kitchen silently, hoping he wouldn’t awaken Dorian, but he knew it was too late when he heard a soft purr from behind him. He turned, finding that Dorian had somehow shifted forms in the span of seconds, and startled a little.  _ That _ would take some getting used to.

“Good morning?” Bull said softly, laughing when Dorian got up and stretched a little. He slinked over to him and nudged his forehead against Bull’s upper arm, purring loudly as his tail curled around Dorian’s leg. “Guess I don’t get the honor of hearing you speak in the morning.”

“Difficult. Food first. Human food.” Bull could hear it in his words again, the accent laced with that slight effort to make the words come out. He jumped slightly when Dorian meowed loudly - a real cat’s meow - and rubbed against his arm some more. “Quickly. Starving.”

“So you keep it to one word responses to conserve energy?” He teased, ruffling Dorian’s hair. Dorian’s only response was to rub himself against Bull even more, body pressed close against him as he paced a slow circle around the Qunari, tail dragging along his legs. “Affectionate, too?”

“No.” Dorian sighed longsufferingly, looking up at Bull curiously. Then he grinned, his sharp teeth made visible with the action. “I’m marking you with my scent. You’re mine now, and this will keep any other stray cat-men from trying to take my place.”

“Are there...a lot of those?” Bull asked dumbly, frowning when Dorian laughed. “Hey, it’s a good question! I didn’t even know this could happen to a guy til you came along!”

Dorian calmed himself enough to look at Bull again, still smiling. “I think my family and I are the only ones, you’ll be happy to know.” He paused, ears flicking back as he looked away. “You...haven’t asked about them yet.”

“Nah. Figured you’d tell me on your own. Maybe even after food.” Bull gave him a gentle pat and then pushed him away to start cooking, very aware of Dorian pacing around behind him. It was silent for a long while before Dorian spoke up again, still behind Bull and still pacing the floor.

“I ran away. Since my father’s ritual failed and all, I thought I would finally do what I’d always dreamed of and leave Tevinter. I’ve no clue what happened to them, but if I find a cure...I suppose I’ll have no choice but to go back and free them of this disaster as well. They’ll chain me up again, no doubt, but…” He trailed off. “And here I said I don’t like talking in the morning.”

“It seems like you’ve told this story before,” Bull said gently, looking over at him. “Lot of people rescue you before me?”

“Dozens. And they all send me out again after I tell them my story. You’re the first to...to actually…”

Bull interrupted him by setting down a plate with a loud clatter, looking away. “Alright. That’s enough difficult talk for one morning. You still have to eat, remember?” Bull smiled back at him. “I’m the first, and I’ll be the last. You’re staying here until you feel like leaving.”

“Well, I…” Dorian’s expression softened, and he walked up to carefully take the plate of food from Bull. “Thank you.”

“Mhm.” Bull walked away from him to get another plate as Dorian went to the table to eat. They chatted about nicer things afterwards - Dorian’s likes, dislikes, when they could go shopping for nicer clothing for him. Bull was just about to get up and clear their plates when the door opened at the front. He turned back to Dorian, opened his mouth to ask him to change - and found that Dorian already had, now a cat and sitting on the table, licking his paws clean. He looked up at Bull, and Bull could swear that Dorian had raised an eyebrow at him and was  _ smirking _ .

“Hey, chief.” Krem barged into the apartment without invitation, kicking off his shoes and dropping an armful of bags on the couch. “Are you--”

He stopped mid-sentence as he saw Dorian, looking up at Bull and frowning. “...didn’t know you got a cat?”

“Surprise.” Bull grinned, going to scoop Dorian up and snorting when Dorian quickly twisted away from him. “I found him out in the rain, couldn’t just leave him there. His name’s Dorian.”

“He’s cute.” Krem smiled as Dorian hopped down from the table to circle his legs, clearly purring at the praise. “Affectionate little guy...does your place even allow cats?”

“Eh, I’ll make it work.” Bull waved him off, crouching down to scratch Dorian behind his ears. Dorian looked up at him adoringly, meowing loudly - clearly playing up the cat angle, which Bull didn’t mind at the moment. “If they don’t, I’ll just move. Who cares?”

Krem snorted, plopping down in the chair Bull had been sitting in to steal his food. “You’re always picking up strays like this...is he fixed?”

Bull felt Dorian tense under his hand and shook his head slowly. “Uh...no.”

“You should probably--”

Dorian let out a very irritated noise, hissing at Krem and arching his back as the other man glanced down, frowning. “...attitude problem. You should _definitely_ get him fixed.”

That set Dorian off, and before Bull could stop him the cat had darted forward to swipe at Krem’s leg. Krem yelped in pain as Dorian hissed again, darting behind Bull and looking up at Krem warily.

“Hey, don’t say that around him. I think he can understand you,” Bull said, reaching back to stroke Dorian’s fur to try and soothe him. He relaxed slightly under Bull’s touch, still glaring up at Krem.

“No he can’t! He’s a  _ cat _ , chief. And I’m telling you, that bad attitude’s only going to get worse if you don’t…” He trailed off, sighing as Dorian let out a low growl. “If you don’t do something about his situation.”

Bull sighed, scooping Dorian into his arms and standing up. “I’ll see what I can do,” he muttered, ignoring Dorian’s betrayed mewl as he carried him over to the couch and set him down.

“I’ll get you a spray bottle so you can train him not to scratch,” Krem snipped, groaning when Dorian hissed again. “Oh  _ come on _ !”

“By the way,” Bull interrupted swiftly before things could escalate. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Krem looked up at him, leaning back in his chair. “You forget already?” He nodded to the bags on the couch. Bull gently shooed Dorian from the couch to inspect them, finding that they were filled with tools. “Stitches is coming over in an hour. Needs help building that dresser he bought or whatever, and you have the most space.”

“Oh, right.” Bull smiled, rummaging through the bags as Dorian bumped his leg gently and then stalked off. “Sorry, got caught up with the little fella.” Big fella. A cat-man was a pretty distracting sort of thing.

“No problem. Long as you can keep him out of the way while we’re building...you need a collar for him, by the way? I’m sure Stitches could pick one up on his way…”

Bull remembered Dorian’s earlier mention of being kinky and snorted, trying to stifle it when Krem looked over. “Uh. No. I’m good, thanks.”

“...you’re acting weird, boss.” Krem grinned and stood up. “Whatever. Deal with your pissy cat on your own then…” Krem trailed off, and Bull looked up to see what had stopped him. “He’s staring at me.”

Dorian was, indeed, looking up at Krem pointedly, appearing perfectly innocent as he walked around his legs and then sauntered off to hop up on the counter. Krem’s eyes followed the cat before he sighed and shook his head. “I’ve got more shit in the car. You should put him in the other room while I go get it.”

“Sure.” Bull went to pick up Dorian again, laughing when the other man purred particularly loudly. “What’s with all the love, big guy?” He teased, grinning when Dorian only bopped his head to Bull’s cheek. He was just about to head for the other room when Krem swore loudly, gaining Bull’s attention once more. “Krem?”

“That little fucker pooped in my shoes!!”  
  
Bull only had time to catch Dorian’s smirk before he had leapt out of his arms and raced into the bedroom, ducking under the bed where Krem couldn’t reach him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a couple ideas on where this story COULD go, but for now I suppose it's just drabbles. I hope you're enjoying it though!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things escalate quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Elthadriel for being my cat consultant. This beautiful cat fic would not be possible without them. :D

Further weeks were pretty uneventful, all things considered.

Dorian was well-behaved as a cat and even better as a friend. Odd as the situation was, Bull liked having someone to come home to - and whether that someone presented himself as a cat or a man depended on his attitude that day. Either way though, it was nice, and not at all unwelcome.

He’d taken Dorian out shopping, buying him new clothing and getting to know him a bit better as they went - they had gotten stares, of course, but they could have just as easily been looking at Bull’s massive horns as Dorian’s ears. It seemed as though Dorian hadn’t minded either way, Bull keeping him wrapped up in conversation and prying details of his life out of him. The days were never uneventful with him around, a nice, positive change in Bull’s routine.

He was getting to like Dorian quite a bit, too. Other than being a runaway from Tevinter, Dorian was also a talented mage and skilled chess player with a razor sharp wit that often left Bull speechless. He was funny, handsome, and aside from the cat ears and tail, no different from any other man.

Occasionally (mainly when Krem came by) Dorian would pick up a bit of an attitude - it was nothing that he couldn’t be dissuaded from, but Bull found that when he used the spray bottle Krem had bought him he’d wake up at four in the morning with hairballs on his floor. He’d talked to Dorian about this in his human form, but Dorian insisted that he ‘couldn’t control his instincts’ when in cat form.

Bull didn’t particularly believe that, but Dorian was cute enough in either form to get away with it. Mostly, anyway.

They _had_ eventually decided on a collar for him, one that Stitches had brought despite Bull’s insistence that he didn’t need it, and found that it was actually helpful. Dorian could hide it under his shirt collars in his human form, and in cat form it looked exceedingly cute on him. Dorian had looked at himself in the mirror and had even meowed his approval at Stitches, nuzzling him while Krem looked on skeptically.

The collar also meant that Dorian could leave the house in cat form as he liked - with the collar as a clear sign of ‘ownership’, there was no risk that someone else might pick him up and try to keep him, and Dorian was smart enough not to go too far or get into any trouble. Bull found it odd that he wanted to, but Dorian had argued with him to the point that questioning things wasn’t worth it.

“There are certain things that I must cater to as a cat,” Dorian had said, not even looking at him as he laid on the floor in the sun. “I can’t very well speak to other cats in _human_ form, can I?”

“Can you?” Bull had been joking, but Dorian had shot him a look that meant he thought Bull a bit of an idiot.

“No. And anyhow, while there are drawbacks, the form has its advantages and I mean to make the most of all of them while I can.”

That had been the end of that discussion, and Dorian had gone out without much more notice than a quick goodbye, promising to be back swiftly. He had reminded Bull not to worry if he was gone long, however, as time tended to feel much differently in that form.

It had only really been surprising when Dorian returned only a few hours later, laying in the sun in his cat form and meowing lowly when Bull approached.

“Hey, Dorian. You’re back a lot sooner than I thought you’d be.” He reached down to scratch Dorian’s ears, laughing when all the man did was curl into his touch. “Aw, you like that? Cute…”

He noticed then that Dorian had lost his collar, and he laughed. “Oh, no! You lost your collar already?” Dorian only meowed again in response, and Bull snorted. “This doesn’t mean you can’t turn into a human, does it?”

Dorian’s ears perked up at that, gray eyes almost squinting at Bull, and Bull frowned slightly. “Um...does it?”

Dorian let out a low moan that Bull couldn’t quite interpret, and only then did he notice that Dorian’s fur looked a bit...darker than it had before. Dirt, maybe? He reached down to pet him, sighing when he saw his palms come back messier than before.

“Did you lose your collar getting into a fight?” Bull said, his tone turning stern as Dorian only blinked back at him. “Dorian…”

Rather than offering anything helpful, Dorian stood up and walked a circle around Bull, rubbing against him and then sitting back down.

“That really doesn’t help,” Bull chastised him, scooping Dorian up into his arms with a grunt and frowning. “You feel heavier.”

Dorian meowed again, but it came out sounding offended enough that Bull let it go for the time being, instead bringing Dorian to the sink and carefully wiping him down with a wet cloth.

“When you’re human, we can give you a proper bath. Yeah?” Bull smiled as Dorian bopped his hand with his nose, grinning as he started to purr. “You’re cute when you’re like this. You know that?”

The cat looked up, blinking at him slowly, and only then did it hit Bull that this cat... _wasn’t_ Dorian. It looked almost identical to him, yes, but it was missing the birthmark, the ‘moustache’, the socks. Bull laughed quietly, realizing that all cats pretty much looked the same to him after a point, and gave it a pat.

“Shit, you’re not Dorian, are you?” The cat’s tail twitched, and Bull sighed. “Sorry, I...I have another cat, he looks exactly like you, but he’s actually a person and…” Bull paused as the cat continued to stare. “...why am I telling you this? You’re a _cat_. You can’t understand me.”

Despite this, the cat seemed pleased with the attention Bull was giving him, and Bull could only sigh as he brought out some of the (overly expensive) cat food he’d bought for Dorian, setting out a small bowl for this new cat. It leapt off the counter excitedly and moved to eat the food without hesitation, Bull watching with interest. Now that he looked at it with more focus, this cat’s tail was fluffier, and his face seemed more...regal, somehow. Bull couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Alright, you,” Bull said, reaching down to pet the cat. “One cat’s enough mayhem for me. You can stay the night, but tomorrow morning I’m taking you down to the shelter. My friend Adorno works there, he’ll treat you well until someone takes you in. Sound fair?”

Despite not understanding him, the cat meowed mournfully, and Bull sighed as he gave him a gentle pat. “I know, I know. I wish I had room for you, I really do. But Dorian...he’s a different sort of cat. You know?”

The cat only meowed again, more insistently pressing himself against Bull’s legs, and Bull sighed.

“Shit. Alright, alright, I’ll ask some of my friends if they’ve got room for you, alright? We can make it a private adoption, keep you out of the shelters for now, but I’m not making any promises. Okay?”

The cat leapt up into Bull’s arms at that, purring loudly and rubbing against him as best he could from that angle. Bull had to laugh as he petted the cat, sweet and soft and kind. If this one had walked in first, he could only imagine how things would be different…

“I’ll call my buddy Stitches first thing in the morning. We’ll get you a home, big guy.”

 

* * *

 

 

The morning ended up rather differently than Bull had expected.

For one, Dorian hadn’t yet returned. He had no idea where the man was, but he certainly wasn’t in the house.

For two, though, there was a man with cat ears and a tail in his house. _Again_.

A man dressed in fine robes and sitting elegantly on the couch, sipping Bull’s tea delicately as he scanned the morning paper and ate some of Bull’s toast. Bull didn’t recognize the man whatsoever, but if he had to make a guess…

“I’ve decided to grace you with my presence.” The man’s voice shocked him out of his thoughts, and Bull continued to stare at him with confusion. “For a few reasons, as it were.”

“The first…” The man set down his teacup and carefully stood, pacing across the living room to Bull. “Your hospitality has been quite good, enough that I feel no fear in showing myself to you. I happen to have another home, as it were, but I travel often from there searching for...well, my next point.”

The man took a step back, apparently trying to appear regal even with his fluffy tail twitching back and forth on the carpet. “I am Halward of House Pavus, magister of the Tevinter Imperium. And it would seem that you have my son.”

“...” Bull felt as though he couldn’t do anything _but_ stare, Halward’s piercing gaze not leaving him even as he looked him over. “You, uh...Dorian said that he ran away on purpose. Because you kinda...caused this?”

“Yes, well,” Halward sniffed, looking to the window and looking remorseful. “I’ve learned that there are worse things than having a gay son. Trials, hardships, etcetera. I have no intentions of trying to harm him again...I only mean to find him and speak to him.”

“I mean...he’s not here right _now_ , if you’re wanting me to…” Bull trailed off, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “I dunno when he’ll be back.”

“Then I suppose I must stay here until he returns.” Halward’s tone didn’t brook an argument, much as he wanted to give one, and Bull could only watch as Halward sat back down and picked up his tea. “Surely you won’t mind sharing your home with one more cat?”

Bull sighed deeply, muting a groan that nearly clawed its way out of his throat. “You been fixed yet, Pavus?”

The look on Halward’s face as he spat out his tea was almost worth the suffering Bull knew he’d endure.

 

* * *

 

With Halward mostly agreeing to stay out of sight until Bull gave him permission to move about freely, things settled into semi-normalcy.

Dorian returned from his adventure three days later, looking messy and a bit unwashed but otherwise alright. Bull hadn’t found time to tell him of his father yet that day, but hopefully soon…

“Chief? It’s me!”

Dorian vanished from the side of the stove the moment Krem stepped into the house, Bull hurrying over to toss Halward into the bedroom and lock him inside without ceremony as Krem stared down at Dorian, who was circling him affectionately.

“Hey, Dori.” Krem crouched down to pet Dorian, the two of them having made peace since the initial incident. Dorian purred at the touch, and Krem smiled as he stood up and moved to the stove to inspect what he thought Bull was cooking. “Your food’s burning, Bull. Where are you?”

“Here!” Bull called over Halward’s yowling, shushing him angrily. “He’ll get pissed if he finds out I got another, shut up!”

“You on the phone or something?” Krem yelled, tending to the fishsticks that Dorian had left and smiling again when Dorian hopped up on the counter. “Oh, I’ve got something for you, little buddy.”

Dorian made a curious noise as Krem reached into his pocket, pulling out a small toy filled with something and dropping it on the ground for Dorian. The cat leapt from the counter and inspected it curiously, sniffing it with interest and freezing all at once as Krem watched, grinning broadly.

“It’s catnip! Thought you might like it. Help you let loose a little--”

Dorian shot off like a rocket, speeding around the house in a circle and meowing wildly as Bull hurried back to find out what the noise was. He jumped in surprise as Dorian raced a circle around his leg and then sprinted back to the couch, leaping onto it with joy.

“Krem! The hell’d you do to him?!”

“What? All I did was give him some catnip! Thought he’d like-- _HOLY SHIT_!!!”

Krem let out an undignified scream of terror as Dorian, mid-run, shapeshifted into a human. He grabbed a knife without hesitation and pointed it at Dorian, who screamed in return and, without warning, shifted back into a cat. Bull watched in terror as Dorian stared warily at the knife, Krem still holding it out with a shaking hand as he dared a glance at Bull.

“Bull. Tell me you saw that.”

“I...yeah, Krem, I should probably explain--”

Before Bull could finish his sentence, another cat leapt through the living room window, shapeshifting into the form of Halward Pavus without warning.

“You didn’t truly think such a simple thing as a lock would keep me out, did you--”

Halward froze, taking in the scene before him with shock. His son, in cat form, being nearly assaulted by a man with a knife, and Bull frozen mid-explanation and staring wide eyed at them all. Dorian’s eyes widened in terror as he saw his father, and Halward sighed deeply, clearing his throat.

“...you can handle this like men, I’m sure.”

Without any further warning, Halward returned to his cat form and leapt out the window, leaving Bull with even more to explain to a very terrified Krem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorian looks something like this: http://i.imgur.com/DTMAYTm.jpg  
> I have no idea how much of this story there'll be, but I like writing the ideas when I have them!

**Author's Note:**

> This was fun to write! I might add more if people like it. If not, enjoy this!


End file.
